Still wondering what is BIPV?Hear it from Minister Lawrence Wong who delivered an enlightening message on BIPV.
Excerpts of Minister Lawrence Wong’s speech on 4 Sept 2019:
So far, we have funded over 30 projects since the launch of this green building innovations programme. One example is PSA, the Port of Singapore Authority. They are building a new terminal in Tuas, the western part of Singapore. And in one of their buildings, they are now deploying building-integrated photovoltaics or BIPV. BIPV are vertical solar panels that replace the building’s original facade cladding. It’s more than just a vertical solar panel, it actually replaces the building’s cladding. This saves building materials and labour costs, and also reduces building lifecycle costs through solar energy generation. In fact, it’s an important technology for Singapore. As we like to say, we are alternative energy disadvantaged. We have very few options for renewable energy in Singapore. The most promising option is solar power. But with solar power, you need a lot of land, and Singapore doesn’t have the luxury of space. So we have been trying to find all the different options where we can deploy solar panels and the one easy solution is building rooftops We've been looking at possible building rooftops to deploy solar panels. But even that is quite limited.
But if there is technology to now deploy solar panels vertically, I think that is a potential game changer. Because if you look at buildings, there is naturally a lot more vertical space than there is horizontal space. So if we can start deploying more vertical solar panels, then we can ramp up the adoption of solar power in Singapore. So BIPV provide an alternative to buildings with limited rooftop space for conventional PVs. It can also help balance energy generation and consumption. Because BIPVs and roof-mounted PVs – the horizontal PVs – tend to achieve peak power generation at different times of the day. Because the sun is at a different position at different times of the day. The good news for architects is that BIPV also come in different colours. So aesthetically, you can do something with it, and architects have more design options. In fact, the colours you see on the screen are just tentative colours, the final building may look very different, depending on the final design.
But if there is technology to now deploy solar panels vertically, I think that is a potential game changer. Because if you look at buildings, there is naturally a lot more vertical space than there is horizontal space. So if we can start deploying more vertical solar panels, then we can ramp up the adoption of solar power in Singapore. So BIPV provide an alternative to buildings with limited rooftop space for conventional PVs. It can also help balance energy generation and consumption. Because BIPVs and roof-mounted PVs – the horizontal PVs – tend to achieve peak power generation at different times of the day. Because the sun is at a different position at different times of the day. The good news for architects is that BIPV also come in different colours. So aesthetically, you can do something with it, and architects have more design options. In fact, the colours you see on the screen are just tentative colours, the final building may look very different, depending on the final design.